Cassandra was a professional at killing time. Hell, they could put in her jail for all the time she killed, like the Jack the Ripper of repetitiveness, the Ted Bundy of tedium...
Cassandra often got bored at work.
Yes, the networking system ran well, of course it ran well. There's hadn't been an update in 50 years. Demands from the government shmucks never took more than a day to do, depending on how long she stretched it out for. Cassandra spun in her chair, eyes shut to the harsh fluorescent lights above. Fingers grazed her worn desk and stacks of reports as she turned. The quiet hum of the computers on her desk both calmed and dispirited her. What she'd give for a catastrophic system failure, a chance to get the adrenaline going, to peck away at a keyboard with some damn fervor.
Her gaze fell to the security camera array on one of her five computer monitors. It wasn't her job to monitor the cameras, she wasn't even technically allowed access. But out of all the time-wasting strategies in her arsenal, watching Phanes Bay Live made the top 5.
She flicked through the channels unceremoniously; the military academy, the hospital, west wall outpost, east wall outpost, the gravel mines...
Cassandra typically flicked past the gravel minds cameras, the sight of prisoners breaking rocks always stirred up something inside her, she'd never agreed with the way they ran that shithole.
But this time she paused as something caught her eye. The camera showed the main quarry of the dusty open pit mine and she immediately locked on to the source of the movement. Through the dust and static Cassandra could see a group of Barren Officers encircling a girl with fire-red hair, standing rigidly in the gravel, fists clenched. One official stepped out from rest, and Cassandra immediately noticed the bright burnt orange stripes that adorned his uniform. She wracked her brain for why a Barren Official may be down in the mine's quarries. Her thoughts halted as she watched the young girl stand toe-to-toe with the Official, who seemed to be shouting at her. Without warning, the Official lunged at the girl, who sidestepped and just as quickly threw a sharp punch; connecting with the officials left jawbone. Cassandra let out a little gasp as the uniformed official fell to the ground and Barren Officers dogpiled the young girl. Thick gray dust rose in plumes as four officers dragged the thrashing youth off camera. The Barren Offical eventually rose to his feet, picking up his side cap from the dirt and wiped a trail of blood from his mouth with a gloved thumb. He shot a glance at the camera, right at Cassandra, before walking off camera.
Cassandra sat frozen in her chair, processing what she had just seen. She let out an exasperated laugh in spite of herself, the excitement of the moment was so foreign to her. Even more foreign still was seeing such an act of rebellion on camera. What the hell was this girl thinking? Punching an official? A vision Cassandra often dreamt of, but an act rarely seen in this day in age. The scene kept playing over and over through her head. Who was this girl with the red hair and a death wish?
Kay Morales knew she had just bought herself three more months in the mines for the stunt she had just pulled. She stumbled a little as Barren Officers shoved her into one of Penance Mines containment cells. They had changed the bedsheets, on the dirt platform deemed a bed, since the last time she had been in this place, how nice of them.
The heavy steel door began to creak shut and Kay glanced over her shoulder as if to bid adieu to the receding beams of light that returned home to the hallway outside. The cell became completely dark.
A couple nights in the Penance Mines containment cell could be considered the facilities equivalent of a timeout. Except this timeout happened over the course of couple days, with no food, water, or light for that matter.
Kay slowly lowered herself onto her dirt pile of a bed. Laying down on her back, she stretched her arms behind her head, feeling her knuckles settle in the dirt, and peered up into the inky blackness above her. She let out a sigh and slowly, allowed a weak grin to form in the corner of her mouth. She thought about the look on the Barren Official's face when he realized the girl who he'd been humiliating for the past minute was actually going to punch him. She let herself revel in the thick feelings of revenge before she quieted her thoughts, quieted her breathing and listened.
She'd spent three days in this hellhole before, and her discovery on the second day is what had kept her spirits alive.
*drip*
Six o'clock, maybe sev-
*drip*
Definitely seven o'clock.
*drip*
Kay rose from her bed and reached out a single hand into the darkness, creeping slowly towards the sound.
*drip*
She turned her open palm to the ceiling, jumping a little as she felt a single drop of water hit her hand.
Crouching on the cell floor, Kay removed her left boot and reached inside. Peeling up the worn sole of the shoe revealed a crudely cut compartment to which she pulled out a small sealed plastic bag, just big enough to hold the two small white pills inside. One pill for water purification and one pill for appetite suppression. She took this moment to thank her brothers and sisters of the Massa Rattlesnakes, and the fantastical miscellaneousness of The Briar.
Cassandra seemed distant as she arrived at her cookie-cutter home in the East Side Village; her husband, William, quickly took notice as she came through the entryway into the kitchen. He ran through the usual "after work script" asking how the day was, what she did, who she saw. He was met with an unenthusiastic sigh of responses as Cassandra slipped past him, and peered inside the old ice box that held most of their food. William leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and looked at Cassandra intently. She looked up from the ice box,"Will, what would you do if you had nothing to lose?"
Cassandra was a professional at killing time. Hell, they could put in her jail for all the time she killed, like the Jack the Ripper of repetitiveness, the Ted Bundy of tedium...
Cassandra often got bored at work.
Yes, the networking system ran well, of course it ran well. There's hadn't been an update in 50 years. Demands from the government shmucks never took more than a day to do, depending on how long she stretched it out for. Cassandra spun in her chair, eyes shut to the harsh fluorescent lights above. Fingers grazed her worn desk and stacks of reports as she turned. The quiet hum of the computers on her desk both calmed and dispirited her. What she'd give for a catastrophic system failure, a chance to get the adrenaline going, to peck away at a keyboard with some damn fervor.
Her gaze fell to the security camera array on one of her five computer monitors. It wasn't her job to monitor the cameras, she wasn't even technically allowed access. But out of all the time-wasting strategies in her arsenal, watching Phanes Bay Live made the top 5.
She flicked through the channels unceremoniously; the military academy, the hospital, west wall outpost, east wall outpost, the gravel mines...
Cassandra typically flicked past the gravel minds cameras, the sight of prisoners breaking rocks always stirred up something inside her, she'd never agreed with the way they ran that shithole.
But this time she paused as something caught her eye. The camera showed the main quarry of the dusty open pit mine and she immediately locked on to the source of the movement. Through the dust and static Cassandra could see a group of Barren Officers encircling a girl with fire-red hair, standing rigidly in the gravel, fists clenched. One official stepped out from rest, and Cassandra immediately noticed the bright burnt orange stripes that adorned his uniform. She wracked her brain for why a Barren Official may be down in the mine's quarries. Her thoughts halted as she watched the young girl stand toe-to-toe with the Official, who seemed to be shouting at her. Without warning, the Official lunged at the girl, who sidestepped and just as quickly threw a sharp punch; connecting with the officials left jawbone. Cassandra let out a little gasp as the uniformed official fell to the ground and Barren Officers dogpiled the young girl. Thick gray dust rose in plumes as four officers dragged the thrashing youth off camera. The Barren Offical eventually rose to his feet, picking up his side cap from the dirt and wiped a trail of blood from his mouth with a gloved thumb. He shot a glance at the camera, right at Cassandra, before walking off camera.
Cassandra sat frozen in her chair, processing what she had just seen. She let out an exasperated laugh in spite of herself, the excitement of the moment was so foreign to her. Even more foreign still was seeing such an act of rebellion on camera. What the hell was this girl thinking? Punching an official? A vision Cassandra often dreamt of, but an act rarely seen in this day in age. The scene kept playing over and over through her head. Who was this girl with the red hair and a death wish?
Kay Morales knew she had just bought herself three more months in the mines for the stunt she had just pulled. She stumbled a little as Barren Officers shoved her into one of Penance Mines containment cells. They had changed the bedsheets, on the dirt platform deemed a bed, since the last time she had been in this place, how nice of them.
The heavy steel door began to creak shut and Kay glanced over her shoulder as if to bid adieu to the receding beams of light that returned home to the hallway outside. The cell became completely dark.
A couple nights in the Penance Mines containment cell could be considered the facilities equivalent of a timeout. Except this timeout happened over the course of couple days, with no food, water, or light for that matter.
Kay slowly lowered herself onto her dirt pile of a bed. Laying down on her back, she stretched her arms behind her head, feeling her knuckles settle in the dirt, and peered up into the inky blackness above her. She let out a sigh and slowly, allowed a weak grin to form in the corner of her mouth. She thought about the look on the Barren Official's face when he realized the girl who he'd been humiliating for the past minute was actually going to punch him. She let herself revel in the thick feelings of revenge before she quieted her thoughts, quieted her breathing and listened.
She'd spent three days in this hellhole before, and her discovery on the second day is what had kept her spirits alive.
*drip*
Six o'clock, maybe sev-
*drip*
Definitely seven o'clock.
*drip*
Kay rose from her bed and reached out a single hand into the darkness, creeping slowly towards the sound.
*drip*
She turned her open palm to the ceiling, jumping a little as she felt a single drop of water hit her hand.
Crouching on the cell floor, Kay removed her left boot and reached inside. Peeling up the worn sole of the shoe revealed a crudely cut compartment to which she pulled out a small sealed plastic bag, just big enough to hold the two small white pills inside. One pill for water purification and one pill for appetite suppression. She took this moment to thank her brothers and sisters of the Massa Rattlesnakes, and the fantastical miscellaneousness of The Briar.
Cassandra seemed distant as she arrived at her cookie-cutter home in the East Side Village; her husband, William, quickly took notice as she came through the entryway into the kitchen. He ran through the usual "after work script" asking how the day was, what she did, who she saw. He was met with an unenthusiastic sigh of responses as Cassandra slipped past him, and peered inside the old ice box that held most of their food. William leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and looked at Cassandra intently. She looked up from the ice box,"Will, what would you do if you had nothing to lose?"